In April, our MC leaders will explore the doctrine of union with Christ and how that defines them as his disciples. As a supplement to that, here are some thoughts from John Owen in Communion with the Triune God on the loveliness and graciousness of our Lord and Savior.
Jesus is...
Lovely in his person---in the glorious all-sufficiency of his Deity, gra...

So very grateful for the men and messages given at the 2014 Desiring God Pastor's Conference entitled The Pastor, the Vine, and the Branches: The Remarkable Reality of Union with Christ.
Here are my favorite messages, and it's worth the time to work through them all...enjoy!
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Note: this is the first post in a series looking at being a disciple, part of a family, and missionaries to our city. The goal is to clarify and give depth to each aspect of our identity in Christ by looking at the theological basis, the example of Christ, and the empowerment of the Spirit.
I attended Concordia South (Luther College, Decorah, IA). Imagine our belo...

Note: this post is second in a series focusing on the disciple, family, and missionary aspects of our identity in Christ.
This is the reason why I have so often been hindered from coming to you. But now, since I no longer have any room for work in these regions, and since I have longed for so many years to come to you, I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain, and ...

Last night, we launched our 16th Missional Community! It's located in the Robert Asp neighborhood of North Moorhead, which is the 14th neighborhood in which we have a presence. This group is led by Richard & Traci Anderson, hosted by Michael & Allison Vetter. Their mission is to make disciples of Jesus who make disciples of Jesus where God has p...

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:1-2)
As Paul tells the Corinthian church what's up, he points them back to the gospel. He uses the word 8 times in the bo...

"Small groups. Growth groups. Mini-churches. Community groups. Cell groups. Accountability groups. Home groups. Missional communities. Mini-flocks. No matter what you call them, most churches of any size highlight the importance of meeting together in smaller communities within the local church. How do I cultivate meaningful relationships in my small group?"...

Who you are influences what you do. What you believe influences how you live. In our fallenness, we are great at getting this wrong and placing more emphasis on what you're to do rather than living out of who you are. Therefore, we must highlight our "gospel identities" as the basis for and the motivation of shared mission. ...

My prayer is that as we develop our concise mission statements group-by-group, we can look at our MC's and see them "standing firm in one spirit, striving side-by-side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything" by those hostile toward the faith (Phil. 1:27-28)....